do malamutes get along with other dogs, generally?

Question

I have a malamute that is very friendly, but have heard of recent incident where two kids were bit by a malamute. Honest answers, please.

Answer 1

They're generally ok with other big dogs and kids, but they may play too rough for a smaller dog. And any big dog is capable of doing serious damage if he hasn't been bred, trained and socialized properly.

A few bad apples doesn't spoil the breed!

Answer 2

Malamutes are dogs first. Given the proper, or rather improper, situation, any dog can bite. If children are properly supervised (should NEVER be alone with a dog) and if the dog is properly socialized, there should be no problems. Malamutes, though, tend to have a high prey drive, so running, screaming kids can be seen as a lot of fun. But, like I said, if everything is supervised, problems can't happen.
I am a budding expert in the northern breeds and have found that, often times dogs that are wolf hybrids, are being called mal or husky mixes to keep the owners from getting in trouble. Often times, no matter what the other breeds are mixed in, it doesn't stop the wolf tendencies. Being that your dog is actually a malamute and that you do actually care, I doubt you will have a problem.
Lastly, any dog can get along with other dogs provided they have been properly socialized. If you're concerned, try an obedience class at PetSmart, where not only you get to work on that lovely independent streak that northern breeds have, but you also work on proper greeting with people and dogs and get to be out and about more.

Answer 3

I had a Malamute, and she was wonderful with children and other dogs. I had four house dogs at the time, and she got along famously with all of them. I also had a 1-year-old baby, a 5-year old, 6-year-old, and a 7-year-old and she was *so* gentle with all of them that it actually surprised me.

*However*... This is to be judged and carefully tested on a dog-by-dog basis. Every dog has a different personality, no matter what breed, and introductions to small children and other dogs should always be handled with the utmost care and caution.

Best of luck to you! I love the breed, and will have one again some day... (When I have room for her to run again...)

Answer 4

Everytime i have been around them i've never had a problem. I have 2 labs and there are a couple malamutes that go to the same park as us and they play together fine. Like most dogs they can get protective so maybe the kids accidentally threatened it somehow